Galaxy Note 7's design could have caused the phone's demise

The latest theory about the cause for the Galaxy Note 7's explosive issues has been spreading like wildfire (sorry) around the Internet.

Tech firm Instrumental did a teardown of the Note 7 and came up with an interesting theory about what makes the phone so easily combustible.

Not enough clearance

Instrumental's theory is that Samsung didn't create enough clearance around the battery holder, with the space around the battery much smaller than it should have been.

The company theorises that the problem could have been solved by simply making a smaller battery. However, it would have meant that the battery would have a smaller capacity than its predecessor, a move that the company would not have deemed acceptable.

With the reduced clearance resulting in the tight fit of the battery and other components inside the ultra-slim chassis, it created potential for battery issues.

It is hard to believe though that Samsung would not have put the phone through tests to gauge potential failures unless the rushed time to market was a key reason behind that. Would Samsung really not have done proper FMEA (failure mode effects analysis) that would have gauged all the possible ways the Galaxy Note 7 could fail? Wouldn't those tests ensure that the worst did not happen even in the event of failure?

The reality is we might never actually find out the reason behind 2016's greatest tech mystery.